Summer Bearing Raspberries

These single crop raspberries have a beautiful, intense, raspberry flavor. You’ll love them.

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Raspberries like an acid soil. Adding wood chips or conifer needles helps with this. They want full sun. Their roots dislike high temperatures. Unlike blueberries, who like wet feet, raspberries like well-drained soil. Once they are established, they won’t need much water after producing their crop. If you want plump berries, make sure they are hydrated during formation.  They send out runners to propagate. You will have babies popping up all around your raspberry patch. These can easily be transplanted.

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Support: The canes of this variety of raspberry are long/tall and spindly. They need to be trellised. You will find a plethora of designs on line.

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Pruning: At the end of the growing season, when the leaves are falling, or have fallen from the plant, cut back the canes that have produced berries that summer. Cut them to just a few inches off the ground. A pro tip for determining from the bottom of the cane whether it was a producer: Work at the top of the cane. Trace spent ones down as far as you can and cut it there.  Once all of the old ones are trimmed to there, work from the bottom up and cut back all of the ones just trimmed. The canes that are left are new growth from this summer. They will be your berry producers next summer.

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Arching: You can leave your canes as is…but, if you arch them, you will be able to reach your berries and you will more than quintuple your harvest.

1. Run your arch to another cane at a distance and bring that one back. Canes can also be fastened to your trellis.

2. Shoulder height works best. The new leaders will grow 1 to 2 more feet.

3. Zip ties or a similar quick fastener works great to anchor the arched cane.

4. Run the arches side to side and back to front/front to back. This way, everyone gets sun and the distribution of weight is more even.

Harvest: Your berries are ready to pick when they are a deep purply red. They will give slightly when you gently squeeze them. They will come off easily.  If they put up a fight, they are not ready...even if they are red.

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These raspberries have a deep flavor and aroma. They won’t have the structural integrity of the berries designed for commercial harvesting (AKA they mush easily).

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Rinse Your Berries: Fresh picked berries and store-bought berries have mold on them. You just cannot see it. Dunk your berries in a vinegar and water solution for 2 minutes, then rinse. The solution should be 1-part white vinegar to 3-parts water. This process will make your berries last longer in storage.

Easy Berry Pie: I can’t call it a recipe, because nothing is measured.

1. Make an oil pastry and press into pie pan.

2. Mash your berries

3. Stir in tapioca or arrow root flour

4. Pour berry/flour mixture into pie crust.

5. Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly.

6. Let it set at room temp to cool, then put them in the refrigerator for an hour or so.